As part of the Upper Columbia Basin Network's effort to conduct vital signs monitoring, we completed monitoring of camas (Camassia quamash) in Big Hole National Battlefield (BIHO) and Nez Perce National Historical Park (NEPE). Camas is a unique resource for these parks because it is both culturally and ecologically significant. Camas was and remains one of the most widely utilized indigenous foods in the Pacific Northwest and it is strongly associated with the wet prairie ecosystems of the region that have been degraded or lost due to historic land use practices. A long-term citizen science-based monitoring program for detecting status and trends in camas populations at BIHO and Weippe Prairie, a unit of NEPE, serves as a central information source for park adaptive management decision making and will provide essential feedback on any eventual restoration efforts of park wet prairie habitats. The involvement of student citizen scientists in this particular program has been effective both in terms of leveraging resources as well as in engaging communities in park stewardship and science education. This annual report details the status and trend estimates obtained from the first five years of monitoring, 2005-2009, at Weippe Prairie and BIHO.

As part of the Upper Columbia Basin Network's effort to conduct vital signs monitoring, we completed monitoring of camas (Camassia quamash) in Big Hole National Battlefield (BIHO) and Nez Perce National Historical Park (NEPE). Camas is a unique resource for these parks because it is both culturally and ecologically significant. Camas was and remains one of the most widely utilized indigenous foods in the Pacific Northwest and it is strongly associated with the wet prairie ecosystems of the region that have been degraded or lost due to historic land use practices. A long-term citizen science-based monitoring program for detecting status and trends in camas populations at BIHO and Weippe Prairie, a unit of NEPE, serves as a central information source for park adaptive management decision making and will provide essential feedback on any eventual restoration efforts of park wet prairie habitats. The involvement of student citizen scientists in this particular program has been effective both in terms of leveraging resources as well as in engaging communities in park stewardship and science education. This annual report details the status and trend estimates obtained from the first six years of monitoring, 2005-2010, at Weippe Prairie and BIHO.

The UCBN recognizes the need to raise overall awareness about the work of the inventory and monitoring (I&M) program, the network's role and activities in I&M, and sharing monitoring status and trend results. Effective communication and outreach is a critical link in dissemination of I&M results. The success of the I&M program ultimately depends on whether park managers find the information produced by the UCBN to be useful in the management of natural resources in their park. In addition, to achieve that success, it is critical that park staff make their needs known to the UCBN. This comprehensive science communications plan addresses the need to raise awareness and inform internal and external audiences of the UCBN's scientific findings. This plan also reiterates the importance of a two-way exchange of knowledge between the I&M program and the parks that they serve. Essentially, this plan details the why, where, how, and when of the UCBN's science communications program. We have included descriptions of UCBN communication products such as resource briefs, informational posters, and a copy of our biannual newsletter. Our hope is that this communication plan will enable park staff to gain an understanding of the depth and breadth of the UCBN commitment to science communication. The intent of this plan is to ensure that a seamless and credible story about UCBN inventory and monitoring efforts is told to park managers and visitors.